Competition
by kisshustar
Summary: How will Ed and Winry cope when they find themselves faced with both male and female competition?
1. Winry's Competition

C o m p e t i t i o n.  
Winry's Competition.

It was Saturday. And one certain alchemist was taking full advantage of it.

He was sprawled out on the couch, blonde hair flopping over his closed eyes; he shifted his hand over his stomach lightly to scratch it, giving out a few light snores in the process. Although it was October, the weather was quite warm, a humid dampness settling in the air and causing everyone to abandon their usual autumn clothes for something lighter. Ed was no exception; The usual red coat was abandoned over the back of the couch, along with his black jacket; leaving his black tank top and black pants for him to be clad in.

The teenager stirred a little as the door creaked open, mumbling a few incoherent words as footsteps travelled towards him. Two sets of footsteps; one were familiar and the other not. He was too lazy to open his eyes, so he let them approach, wondering who the heck was trying to disturb his peaceful Saturday. The feeling of annoyance faded though, as a few words travelled to his ears from above;

"Ed...? Wake up!" Winry's tone sounded quite light and happy, which was good. He liked that; it usually meant that he wasn't going to be bombarded by wrenches. But he still wasn't getting up.

His only response was a small groan, along with the mumbling: "It's not the time for another automail checkup, Win..."

He heard her sigh, along with the floorboards creaking as she moved.

"I'm not going to check your automail.... Look, one of our old frie-"

But her words were lost as the alchemist rolled over, burying his face in a couch pillow to drown out her words.  
Oh, that did it. He was just being _rude _now.

With a sudden movement to her back pocket, her wrench was whipped out, along with a frown spreading on Winry's face.

"EDWARD!" She prodded him harshly with the wrench, causing him to jump violently, his golden eyes opening with the flinch from the metal tool touching him.

"N-no need to get violent...!" His voice shook slightly as he bolted upright, scooting away from the wrench as far as he could, pressed up against the back of the couch.  
The girl standing over him gave a pleased look, replacing the wrench into her back pocket before folding her arms.

"Stupid...." The girl turned around to motion to another blonde, who was standing behind her, an amused expression spread on the stranger's face.

"Anyway, this is-" Winry was cut off in sudden surprise as the girl she had been motioning to suddenly swept past her, red high heels creating loud noises on the floor as she strutted up to Ed, leaning over him.

"Sara. You remember me, right?" Not even giving him a chance to reply, the girl kissed him on both cheeks, immediately causing a bright flush to appear there.

A nervous smile ached across the male's face, as he nodded with the stutter; "U-uh... hi.... yeah... Sarah...! Hi..."

Winry looked mutinous. Her hand made a twitch movement towards her back pocket, but a solution came to her as she darted forwards, placing herself next to Ed and then shoving him to the other end of the couch, so there was no room the other side for anyone else to sit.

Sarah scowled, leaning upright again as her eyes flicked to Winry. But oh no, she had plans too; _no-one_ was going to spoil this for her.

Placing herself in Ed's lap with a flourish, she turned to him again and fluttered eyelashes over green eyes, now ignoring the other girl sitting the other side of him.

"See, I knew you'd remember me! Are you still a State Alchemist or whatever they're called?" She'd obviously been doing her research, as she let the question flow out of her mouth with ease, making Winry twitch with annoyance.

Golden eyes blinked, a nervous laugh spilling over his lips only to be replaced with a loud 'GAH!' as he found an extra weight forcing itself on his knees, making him squirm uncomfortably.  
He didn't have a _clue _what to do.

"Y-Yeah..." He deliberately avoided eye contact with the girl sitting next to him, only aware of the fact that her leg touching his was tense; his mechanic was getting upset.

Winry gritted her teeth, fists clenching into tight balls settled on her knees.

"Oh look at the time Sarah, shouldn't you be _going_?" The sarcasm and warning in her voice was clear, but Sarah seemed to be deaf to everyone except the seat she was sitting on.  
She started playing with the alchemist's blonde hair, twirling a few strands round her fingers as she leant towards him, revealing all below her low-cut top.

"Oh really? I was thinking of joining the military, I think I'd look good in a miniskirt, don't you?" The flirtation in her voice was so thick you could almost dent it with a wrench.

But she was only to be disappointed; as the male raised his metal hand, gently pushing the fingers messing with his hair away; leaning back as he quickly averted his eyes, looking anywhere but her chest.

"N-no... it's not worth it..." He didn't want anyone joining the military _just_ to wear a miniskirt; how stupid was this girl?

Blue eyes were narrowed, her voice slick with venom; "Sarah, you should go..." Winry grabbed the girl's shoulder rather roughly, only to have it shaken off in a dismissal, eyes still focused on Ed.

"Why not? I'd probably get to see more of you!" Sarah was looking annoyed at her victim's responses; she had been hoping for more than this, she had made sure to plan everything...

"Don't sell yourself to the military for something as stupid as that..." Ed frowned, shaking his head.

Winry had definitely had enough.

Pushing herself up off the couch, she raised her right fist, punching the other girl round the face, along with a loud cry that echoed across the room: "GET THE HELL OFF MY BOYFRIEND!"

Sarah was sprawled on the floor, looking wide-eyed and touching her red cheek gingerly. Had she just been _punched?_

The girl on the floor stumbled upright to face her opponent, placing her hands on her hips.  
"What? Oh, he's your boyfriend is he? ... And I didn't see him complaining!" Fake innocence flooded her voice, along with a triumphant smirk as she added the point on the end.

Ed didn't know what to do; he avoided watching the cat fight, mumbling a few words before letting them die down, practically sinking into his seat. What the hell was he supposed to do?

"Yes, he's my boyfriend you bitch! I've told you enough times, haven't I?!" Winry's tongue was getting furious, matching her expression. She ignored Sarah's added comment; she knew that Ed wouldn't know what to do, he was such a prude sometimes.

Sarah hissed, the anger at being called a bitch spreading across her face. Her hand twitched and then raised itself to slap the blonde in front of her, a sweet revenge for that remark.

But Ed wasn't having any of that; although he was trying to stay out of it, _nobody _hurt his Winry. Ever.

The teenager leapt up, firmly grabbing Sarah's wrist as he stood in front of the blonde he had always sought to protect, no matter what. And his frown showed that, through and through.

Winry was surprised and a flood of emotions span through her mind as her eyes focused on the braid that had entered her view; she moved to stand by Ed's side, a gentle smile on her face. He was protecting her.

Sarah looked startled, staring at the metal wrist that had suddenly taken cold control over her hand. It was obvious; there was no-one else for him except the golden-haired mechanic that was now standing by his side. And it would always be like that.

Seeing that she was beaten, the fallen blonde jerked her wrist away, glaring at the couple defiantly.

"Hmph. You could do a lot better than _her_ anyday... Stupid whore..." She hissed, watching as Ed took his arm back, to fold them across his chest, matching Sarah's glare with his own golden-eyed one.

"If I'm not mistaken, I'd say you're merely _jealous_... which obviously means you're upset that I _can't_ find better." Winry's offended look faded into a smile as Ed spoke with confidence, telling the enemy straight.

That was it for Sarah; with a turn of her heel, she was out of the room; slamming the door behind her, a signal that she wasn't coming back. Good riddance.


	2. Winry's Competition: Aftermath

C o m p e t i t i o n.  
Winry's Competition: Aftermath.

Thank god.

Winry watched the door slam shut, her blue eyes filling a little as she felt it hit her. So _this _was the only reason why Sarah had been so friendly to her...

Next to her, Ed rolled his eyes, sighing and muttering under his breath. What the heck was wrong with girls nowadays...

His thoughts were distracted as he found the girl next to him suddenly gone; throwing herself onto the couch, with a sad expression on her face.

"I always knew that was something bitchy about her.. And I should have known, she practically begged to come with me, she's never been that nice before..." She sounded upset, the bright orbs of blue vanishing behind her eyelids as she closed her eyes, resting her head against the back of the couch.

She felt Ed sit down next to her and she sighed again.

"Eheh... to tell you the truth, I don't even remember her, I just said that to be polite... " His voice was so reassuring, it always had been. But she still wasn't buying it; she was curious- had he really not know what to do?

"I didn't hear you complain about what she was doing either..." She opened her eyes a little, watching him carefully, waiting for his reaction.

The guilty expression on his face as he looked away told all. "I-I didn't know what to..." His sentence faded away into nothingness, the guilt still embedded on his face.

Winry sighed, muttering her thoughts under her breath: "They're all the same..." but still, she was grateful for how Ed had stood up for her.

She sat up, opening her eyes. A change of subject was needed; Sarah was in the past, forgotten now.

"Anyway... I went back to Resembool for a visit, to go and see Granny and Den... ...She's got a new assistant!"

Ed's pout was replaced by a curious blink as he studied the girl opposite him. "...Ah, she did?"

Winry nodded. "... Yeah! His name's Dan, I think... He's really nice..." Her lips suddenly parted as she went to say something else, but held it back.  
He'd be furious if he knew... But...

The alchemist's curiosity was mounting as he watched her, noting her body language carefully. Was she hiding something?

A golden eyebrow was raised, a small frown on his face. "He...? Hm..." He didn't like the sound of that.

Something was up; the blue eyes were avoiding him, instead focused on fiddling with the skirt that was clad over her legs. He only just caught the soft 'mmhmm...' that escaped her.

"Oh..." Was was she hiding something? He didn't like this... A wave of annoyance swept over him, making him kick at the floor grumpily, his black boot scuffing a mark against the wood.

There was a strange silence, in which only the tick of a clock could be heard, accompanied by a few birds singing outside. Winry stared at her lap, hesitating until she couldn't keep it in any longer.

".... I think he likes me."

Ed's reaction was just as she had predicted; he nearly choked as he stared at her, looking faintly shocked.

"He _what_...?!" This wasn't good, he could tell. Somebody else was after Winry, _his _Winry?!

The mechanic gave him a sheepish look, biting her lip.

"Well he kept asking me if I had a boyfriend... And he gave me his phone number..." She pulled a small piece of white paper out of her pocket, revealing a few neatly scribbled numbers; the thing that screamed out most though was the large 'x' underneath it- it was a kiss.

Ed glared at the paper as if it was yelling insults at him. Who the hell did this guy think he was?!

"Didn't you tell him you were taken?" He quickly looked away as he folded his arms, acting as if the paper had spat at him. A few angry mumbles spilled out as he sat there, looking furious. "Why the hell would he give you your number if..."

Winry rolled her eyes, stuffing the bit of paper back into her pocket with a careless air.

"Of _course_ I did..." After all, it's not as if she wasn't proud of having Ed as her boyfriend, she told everyone she could.

His mumbles made her sigh worriedly, as she looked down. "... I don't know, he just said it's if I ever needed anything..." She sounded unsure, as if she hadn't really been sure what this Dan character had meant by that.

Whatever he had meant, Ed didn't like it at all. "Tch! Like what... stupid bastard..." His voice shook slightly; he was worried. What had this guy been saying to her?

The girl shifted, turning her body to face him. "Ed, I'm sure he was just being friendly, that's all... I'm probably just wrong, you have nothing to worry about..." She tried to give him a reassuring smile; she didn't like him being upset, especially over something like this.

She paused, and then added: "...And even if he _does_ like me, then it's not as if I'm going to go off with him when I've got the best boyfriend in the world already, right?" A soft hand was placed on Ed's shoulder, as she continued smiling at him. Oh, and she had meant every word. But he wasn't believing it.

"...You don't have to lie, I know I'm not..." Of course he wasn't the best boyfriend; after all the times he had gotten hurt, ruined his automail, made her cry, made her worry...

Winry gave him an exasperated look, raising her hand to flick his cheek gently, gaining his attention again.

"I'm not lying. I know you break your automail frequently, and worry me to death, but I know you love me and that's all that matters. " Idiot, wasn't it obvious that she thought the world of him, no matter what he did?

Her anticipation died down as she saw a small relieved smile form across his face. "R-really...?" His voice sounded lighter, happier; she really did love him...

She almost rolled her eyes again, but he was always full of stupid questions... "Of course, silly." She made sure not to make her insults too offensive, she didn't want to upset him further.

There was still the dread though, of going back to Resembool; knowing that her grandma's new assistant lay in wait. This had to be sorted out.

"... But if you're really that worried... Why don't we pop back to Resembool, and you can see for yourself? " She lay the question out in front of him, holding her breath.

A pause. And then a nod, with a fold of the arms once again.

"Hmph. Fine."


	3. Ed's Competition

C o m p e t i t i o n.  
Ed's Competition.

Resembool was the same as ever. Just miles of green and... more green. Ed couldn't help but notice how close Winry stayed to him, her hand almost lingering to take his, as they walked along the beaten track that led up to her childhood home. It was as if she was nervous of something...

Somehow, he knew it was this new assistant of Pinako's. The bastard that was after her, _his _girlfriend, Winry.

His fists tightened, and suddenly he reached out to grab, pulling her along but still holding her hand with the kind of gentle grip that he always seemed to have.

"Come on."

They soon reached the small house that lay buried amongst mountains and hills and trees. The usual puff of smoke was rising from the chimney, a ward against the chill of the autumn's day. As they approached, the familiar noise of a dog barking greeted them; the culprit of the noise flew out from the house, before promptly tackling her favourite victim to the ground.

"Gah Den, get off!" Ed attempted to shove the slobbering dog from off of him, desperately jerking his head away from the wet kisses she was giving him. Yuck.

That was when _he _came out of the house.

He wasn't bad-looking- in fact, he was rather handsome, but with a different charm from that Ed did. His hair was brown, short; his eyes a piercing blue- similar to Winry's but minus the gentleness.

"Den, come ba- " He ran after the dog, wiping his greasy hands on the oil-stained beige apron that he was wearing.

His eyes cut to Winry, and he grinned. "...Winry!"

But then they met the gold ones that were glaring at him from the floor, and that grin just slid off his face.

"... Oh."

A sheepish smile spread across the female mechanic's face as she laughed, grabbing Den gently and tugging her off, looking down at her boyfriend with an amused look.

"Somebody's excited to see you..." Ed only muttered at her remark, sitting up and brushing dirt off his coat with an irritated look.

"Stupid dog..." Normally he wasn't this unfriendly with the overly-friendly dog, but this time it was his dignity at stake, and he was grumpy anyway because of this Dan character. Who seemingly had just come out of the house. Glares clashed.

And then, the brunette had stepped forwards, grabbing Winry's arm and practically _abducted _her into the house. Ed fumed, letting out a loud cry of "Ack, hey!" as he stumbled to his feet, running after them quickly.

Winry cringed as her scolding to Ed about being horrible to Den was cut off, using her other arm to reach out for him as she was dragged through the doorway of her old home. Her face became apologetic as she watched the alchemist vanish behind a wall as she stood in the main room, Dan still holding her arm with a determined look. He turned round to face her.

"How are you anyway? Do you want anything to drink?" A pause. "... And who's the short guy you've brought with you?

Winry opened her mouth to reply, only to find the 'short guy' had appeared beside her, gently grabbing her wrist and pulling her out of Dan's grip.

"The name's Elric. _Edward_ Elric." He was seething, his golden eyes narrowed as he pulled Winry close to him, a faint possessive look across his face.

His rival scowled, arms folded as the blonde was torn from his grip.

"Oh, so _you're_ the Edward I've heard so much about..." He looked haughty, taunting. Then he paused. "Winry's _friend_, right?"

That emphasize on the word 'friend' was almost too much for him. "Why yes, I am... I'm her _boyfriend_." His face became proud, holding the girl in his arms tightly as she glanced up at him, slowly going red.

Dan just stood there, looking unconvinced. "Right. Sure you are."

Well if he wanted proof, he'd get it.

Grinning, the blonde slowly slid his hand round Winry's back, using his other hand to push a few strands of blonde out of her face as he lowered her down. The girl blinked, seeming to suck her breath in and hold it as he leant down closer, finally reaching his desired destination as his lips pressed to hers in a passionate kiss. She responded at once, leaning up into him; oh god, it was like nothing else was there, not that other guy - what was his name again? - not even the air, just him and his arms and his lips-

And then it was gone, his presence still lingering as he leant up, pulling her up with him. A smirk was the first thing to enter her eyes as she opened them, looking upwards with a bright flush on her cheeks. Somehow, Ed being jealously possessive just made him even _more _good-looking, if anything. Not that she'd tell him that.

Dan watched the scene, his mouth opening slightly before he closed it with a scowl.

"Yeah, when you two are done with that..." His voice was slick with jealously as he watched the couple with sharp eyes.

Ed promptly stuck his tongue out, a childish expression spread across his face. It made Winry smile how he did that sometimes; like he was reliving his childhood now, because he'd lost it so long ago. Dan muttered under his breath.

"Hmph..." The rest was inaudible, but it sounded like sharp insults, matching the daggers that practically threw from his eyes. He turned his attention back to the blonde girl again.

"Anyway, Winry, do you want to come look at the automail plans I drew up?" He made himself sound innocent, nice. And she took it, not wanting to be rude; she pulled herself up right, suddenly finding herself gripped tighter by Ed's hand on her wrist. His smirk was fading back into a glare again.

Winry almost groaned. How was she supposed to do this? She didn't want to upset Dan, being Granny's new assistant and all... But yet there was Ed, not wanting to let her go, not willing to even risk sharing her with anyone. Then, she had an idea.

"Ed..." She pulled her wrist from his grip, turning around to face him with an assuring smile.

"Why don't you go and check that Den's not eating that apple pie I saw in the kitchen earlier?" She winked at him, hoping he'd get the hint that there was food in the kitchen- food that he could eat.

But he wasn't buying it; he followed her into the other room as she walked off, pouting and whining; "What? But I wanna see these... automail things... too!"

So obvious he was lying, and she didn't like it. Why was he so worried?

"Ed, you've never been interested in automail... And you won't understand it anyway! I don't know what you're so worried about..." As much as she loved how possessive he was, his childishness was getting annoying. She was fifteen and she could look after herself.

But it was Dan that interrupted them, stepping forwards, blue eyes focused on Winry. "Hey Winry, could I talk to you about something? ... _Alone__?"_

She blinked in surprise, ignoring Ed's protest of "Well I might end up having to live with these things, so of course I'm interested...", which was quickly replaced by "I don't see what's so _secret_ that I can't hear...?"

His face was contorted into a harsh scowl, all hatred firing at the brunette in front of him. What the hell did this guy think he was doing?

Exasperated, Winry muttered "boys..." under her breath, whirling round to lean in towards Ed, whispering in his ear.

"Just go and wait in the kitchen, I'll take Dan into the garden and he can talk to me for a minute about automail or whatever... You'll be able to see us from there, if you're so worried...  
I just don't want to upset him because he's Granny's assistant, and I don't like her being on her own... So please...?"

It was the only option she had; she didn't want Pinako alone again, and if Dan got offended, he'd probably quit and leave.

Ed's response only annoyed her more, as he stomped his foot on the floor, much like a five year old having a tantrum would.

"I don't understand why I can't come with you guys!" He whined.

Winry snapped, almost getting her wrench out there and then. "Well obviously he just wants to ask me something, I don't know! But you're being rude, and you're acting like you don't trust me!" She stalked out into the garden as her anger got the better of her; Dan followed at once, giving Ed a sly smirk and slamming the door behind him.

The blonde stood there almost in shock, alone. Of course he trusted Winry, he just didn't trust that stupid bastard... Couldn't she understand that? But maybe he'd gone about it the wrong way...

His thoughts suddenly crashed as a muffled scream reached his ears.... from the garden.

Only one thought re-entered his mind, screaming at him.

_WINRY._

The door almost fell off it's hinges as he burst through it, almost howling in rage as his eyes settled on the scene in front of him.

_"Hey Winry... You alright?" Dan approached the blonde as she leant up against the wall, her blue eyes looking glassily. He couldn't help but run his eyes everywhere- oh god, she was too good for him, she should be with him, not that idiot..._

_Winry nodded, her eyes flickering to the male who had followed her, then to the door behind him. Oh god, she shouldn't have walked out like that... Ed was only worried about her..._

_Sighing, the female leaned back upright, smiling a little. "I'm going to go apologize to him... Sorry about this..." She started to sweep past him, only to find herself stalled as a rough hand gripped her arm._

_"Oh Winry... Can't you see..." Her heartbeat picked up pace as her brain registered the danger and malice in his voice._

_".... Dan, let go of me..." She turned back to yank her arm out of his grip, only to find the breath pushed out of her lungs as she was forced up against the rough wall, trapped._

_"W-What are you doing!" She stumbled over her words, eyes widening in horror as the male pinning her against the wall grinned at her, his hands travelling. She struggled as his body held her in place, trying to scream but finding it cut off as one hand was clamped over her mouth. _

_"Shh... Let's have some fun, shall we?" His laughter was almost unreal, like some villain out of a movie. His rough hand snaked under her top, nearly, nearly..._

And that was when the noise of the door sounded, her streaming eyes darting towards the figure who had appeared in the doorway; there was a flash of silver, red and gold and then she was free, shaking as she clutched at the wall behind her.

She didn't even have to look to see who her saviour was- she knew he would come.


	4. Ed's Competition: Aftermath

C o m p e t i t i o n.  
Ed's Competition: Aftermath.

He led his mechanic back inside, frowning as he felt her tremble in his arms. That _bastard..._ How dare he even touch Winry in that way, weither he was her girlfriend or not...

He swallowed back the anger that rose up in his throat, clenching one fist as he used his automail arm to pull Winry up, gently placing her arm round his shoulders. Her face was flushed, azure eyes glassed over as she kept back the tears that kept wanting to come out, pale skin covered in goosebumps that weren't just from the chilled air outside.

Ed's golden eyes became harsh as he pulled his worried gaze from her, pausing to glare at the figure now cold and unstirring, lying up against the wall with a small river of crimson liquid trailing from his nose. He would sort him out later... For now, making sure Winry was okay was his main priority.

The couple made their way slowly through the doorway and back inside, Winry biting her lip so much that a small drop of blood began to flow down her chin. That was when the tears started; she broke down into choked sobs, her knees collapsing underneath her, but not hitting the floor, as Ed carefully caught her in his arms. The furious bile flooded into his throat again and he found his own eyes become damp; he hated seeing her crying, especially because of something like this... It just wasn't fair...

As gently as possible, the teenager carried her over to the couch, setting her down there before moving a blonde strand away from her ear as he leant down.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, wait here..." He murmured, registering her shaky nod as he ran off to the kitchen, eyes searching.

A few minutes later, he returned from the kitchen, carefully carrying a glass of water and a wad of tissues, golden eyes fill to the brim with worry. The knot in his stomach loosened slightly as she gave him a small smile; he sat down next to her, holding out the glass of water and watching as she took it and took a sip, spilling a little bit down her chin. It merged a pinkish-red with the blood, and he darted forwards to catch it before it trailed anywhere else, holding the tissue to her mouth and softly wiping the liquid there away.

Before he could even realise, she was there; curled up in his lap and resting her head against his shoulder, eyes closed. Her lips were curved up into a content smile, her body stopping shaking as tight arms settled around her, holding her tightly. She felt safe.

His own mouth matched hers as he placed his head against hers, hugging her firmly. He closed his own eyes, suddenly thinking of the future; that idiot outside would be sure to be fired now... Winry worried too much, Pinako would be fine... And he'd still get jealous, no matter what happened. Because she was his, and no-one else's.

And it would always be that way, for both of them.


End file.
